Tuesday, July 6, 2010

My third residency was full of interesting feedback and in the process crystallized a direction for my research and studio work for the coming semester. My investigation will be to explore the cultural and social identification that exists within contemporary car culture. For example how the Cadillac Escalade is identified with Hip Hop. Over the last few months in my studio practice my work has shifted from iconic German cars - VW busses and bugs from the 60s and 70s, to an exploration of American automobiles which includes the iconic muscle car. For my studio investigation I would like to attempt to paint contemporary cars to further develop an understanding of today’s car culture.

My previous academic advisor has suggested an outline of research for my thesis. My critical discourse will be built around Hopper, Hockney, Rusche, Rickter, and Sigmar Polke along with a complete understanding of the Pop Art movement, realism in post 50s, and photorealism specifically investigating Ralph Goings. In addition I need a good understanding of Hyperrealism theory. Sunanda has suggested reading Baudaillar and looking at the thesis of Nate Stromberg – which Nate emailed me today.

My first research paper will be a comparative between Edward Hopper and photo realest painter Robert Bechtle, specifically looking at environment, temperature, time of day.

Bio

I see my work as more documentary, painting from digital snapshots and appropriated images. Not unlike many artists, Edward Hopper, Robert Bechtel, and Edward Ruscha, my background is in traditional graphic design and painting as visual communication. In my paintings I paint with a measure of restraint, a sense of proportion that I take to be the unspoken vocabulary of the vanishing middle-class.